Herman e



(No Model.)

H. R. BOISSI-ER.

, APPARATUS FOR BLEGTRO PLATING. No. 331,609. Patented Dec. 1, 1885.

J v i wimwa W N. PETERS, Phoin-Lilhognphon Washinglon. 0. cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo HERMAN R. BOISSIER, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPLATING.

SPECIFICATION farming part of Letters Patent No. 331,609, dated December 1, 1885.

Serial No. 172,088. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN It. BoIssIEE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electroplating apparatus; and it consists in combining a dynamo-electric machine with two plating-baths and two separate circuits, one of which includes one of said plating-baths,the armature, and the fieldmagnets of the generator, and the other of which includes the remaining bath and the armature alone; further, in a dynamo-electric machine provided with a shunt and a key to make or break said shunt-circuit, when desired, combined with a plating-bath and circuit, and in details of construction, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, which forms part thereof.

Hcretofore in electroplating, especially with copper, when quick work is required, as in electrotyping, it has been customary to simply couple the single-line circuit through one bath. If, now, there was but a small amount of work in the bath, the resistance was great, and consequently it was almost impossible to develop a sufficient magnetic field in the generator to overcome this resistance to such an extent that the machine would work in any wise economically,and therefore its maximum effect could never be realized, and in the case of high tension machine a small amount of work in the bath would be destroyed. In practice I have found that by inserting another circuit ema nating from the brushes and not including the field-magnets, and placing in that auxiliary circuit a second plating bath, I am enabled to use the first bath for slow work or making the copper for future working, and the second bath for quick work. If the two baths are to be used for plating, and the original or main bath for fine work, the machine could not materially increase its magnetic field, on account of the resistance, in any reasonable time,so I provide one or more shunt-circuits, which shunts the bath and short-circuits the machine. When a sufficient electro-motive force is obtained, part or all of this shunt may be opened, and

all or an increased current caused to flow through the said bath performing work and maintaining the magnetic field developed by the use of the shunt. The resistance of the field-magnets,as well as the armature,being in the original circuit,the plating is more or less slow; but there is not excess of resistance in the second circuit, and therefore the current is much stronger, enabling quick work to be done in the second bath, and the capacity of the machine is more than doubled. If, after the magnetic field has reached its maximum strength, the resistance be increased in the first bath, the amount of work in the second bath may be proportionally increased, as after once being brought to near saturation the field of force will not readily be reduced.

From the foregoing it is seen that one bath may be used to make copper for subsequent plating, and the other bath used for quick plating, or both may be used for plating, one for slow and the other for quick work; or the slow bath may be shunted and the quick-work bath alone be used. The machine being pro vided with several shunt wires or rods of different resistances and a switcl1-lever to put either of said shunts in circuit, the current in the field-magnets may be varied as desired, and the amount of current passing through the auxiliary platingbath may be controlled by said shunts to suit the work contained therein.

In the drawing is shown an elevation of a dynamoelectric machine, and a diagram illustrating my new arrangement ofcircuits,shunts, and plating-baths.

A is the dynamo-electric machine. B and O are its positive and negative brushes, and D and E its line binding-posts. F is one plating-bath, and H the other. The bath F is in circuit with the posts E D, field-magnets, and armature of the generator by line-wires G, and bath H in circuit with the armature alone by wires I. A galvanometer, J, may be placed in the wire I, if desired, to indicate the strength or quantity of the current in that circuit, and thereby the amount of work it is capable of doing.

The binding-post D is connected to one or more shunts, three of which are shown-via,

L, L, and L having different resistances and preferably formed of iron rods. ends of these shunts are secured to contactblocks Z Z P, over which a circuitclosing lever, K, works, which lever is connected to the bindingposts E. By this means any desired amount of the current (within certain limits) may be shunted, so that the current passing through the line G and bath F may be c011- trolled, and when said bath is not in use the electro-motive force of the machine may be varied by varying the shunt-resistance about the field-magnets, thereby increasing or decreasing their strength.

The operation is as follows: The machine being put in motion, the current generated is partly caused to pass through bath F and the field-magnets, increasing the field of force. In time the current becomes powerful, and is doing a maximum amount of work, the greatest part of said current passing through the bath H, in which the quick work is to be placed. The bath F may be used, as before specilied, for making copper or for slow work.

If, in starting, the magnetic field should not augment sufficiently, the lever K is moved to close one of the shunts, L, L, or If. After awhile this shunt may be broken, if desired, and the current passing through circuit G and bath F be relied upon to keep up the magnetic field; or this bath F may be removed entirely and one of the shunts used in connection with the bath H and circuit I. A series of circuits, I, and baths H might be used, if desired, all emanating from the armature.

If d esi red, the circuit I might include a small part of the coils of the field-magnets; but I prefer to make it as shown, and of course a number of baths. may be coupled up to make, technically, a single bath for each circuit.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction, as they may be modified without departing from my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In electroplating apparatus, the combination ofa dynamoelectric machine, two plating-baths, and two electric circuits, one of which includes one bath, the field-magnets, and the armature, and the other the armature, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In electroplating apparatus, the combination of a dynamo-electric machine, a shuntcircuit, substantially as set forth, two platingbaths, and two electric circuits, one of which includes one bath, the fieldmagnets, and the armature, and the other the armature, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In electroplating apparatus, the combi- The other 1 nation of a dynamoelectric machine, a shuntcircuit,substantially as set forth, means to make or break said shunt, two plating-baths, and two electric circuits, one of which includes one bath, the field-magnets, and the armature, and the other the armature, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

at. In electroplating apparatus, the combination of a dynamo-electric machine, a shunt circuit, substantially as set forth, means to make or break said shunt, two plating-baths, and two electric circuits, one of which includes one bath, the field-magnets, and the armature, and the other the armature and a galvanometer arranged in the latter of said circuits, substantially as and for the purpose specified. a

5. In electroplating apparatus, the combi' nation, with a dynamo-electric machine and two separate plating-baths, of two separate circuits emanating from said dynamo-electric machine and including, respectively, the said baths, and so coupled that the current passing through one of said circuits is considerably greater than that passing through the other, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In electroplating apparatus, a dynamoelectric machine, in combination with a plating-bath, a line-circuit including said plating bath and emanating from the armature alone, and a shunt-circuit completing the circuit through the field-magnets, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. In electroplating apparatus, the combination of a dynamo-electric machine, a shuntcircuit,substantially as set forth, means to vary the resistance of said shunt, two plating baths, and two electric circuits, one of which includes one bath, the field-magnets, and the armature, and the other the armature, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination, with a shunt-wound dynamo-electric machine, of shunts L L L of different resistances, connecting with one end of the field-magnet coils and independent of the armature-coils, and circuit-closing lever K, connecting with the other end of said coils and adapted to put either of said shunts into circuit, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

HEltIiIAN It. BOISSIEB.

Witnesses:

IRVING MYnns, J 01in G. DAVIS.

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